My path from Physics to Biology brought me from dynamical systems theory, via stochastic processes and networks, to electron tomography and agent-based models. Now I focus on synaptic transmission, particularly in structural changes that occur after the induction of long-term potentiation at synapses.

My scientific career started when I majored in Physics at the University of Buenos Aires. For my thesis, I implemented a computational model of the auditory system together with Prof. Manuel Eguia. This was followed by a Master in Physics in Spain at the Institute for Cross-Disciplinary Physics and Complex Systems. I continued with a summer school on Computational Neuroscience in Germany, which ended in a research visit to the Center for Neural Science at NYU at John Rinzel’s Lab.

Back in Europe, I worked as a research assistant at Jacobs University in Bremen with Prof. Marc-Thorsten Hütt, and finally did my PhD in Biology at the University of Luxembourg with Prof. Alexander Skupin, after two extended internships with collaborators at the Salk Institute and the National Center for Microscopy and Imaging Research at UCSD, closely collaborating with Dr. Tom Bartol and Prof. Mark Ellisman at each institution.

In 2020, I moved back to California to join the Salk Institute as a postdoctoral fellow. Since then, I worked on a variety of projects with an extensive network of internal and external collaborators from diverse backgrounds. I worked with the MCell team led by Dr. Tom Bartol developing software. I worked with Prof. Padmini Rangamani developing a 3D model of a mitochondrion, employing realistic 3D reconstructions. In collaboration with Prof. Kristen Harris, we interrogated structural features of presynaptic terminals in 3D reconstructions.

Teaching experience

Teaching assistant at the University of Buenos Aires:

  • Mathematics & Physics Departments: (Introductory course, CBC), from 3-7/2004 (two positions), from 3/2005-4/2008 (three positions). Courses taught: Mathematics, Physics and Biophysics.
  • Physics Department, FCEyN. Courses taught: Laboratory 3, Electricity and Magnetism, from 8/2004 to 3/2005. Physics for biologists 1, from 8/ 2005 to 3/2006.

Scholarships

  • PhD scholarship awarded by the Luxembourg National Research Fund, 2015-2019.
  • PhD scholarship awarded by the Spanish National Research Council, 2010 (Declined).
  • Master scholarship awarded by the University of the Balearic Islands 2009-2010.
  • PhD scholarship awarded by the Argentine National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), 2008 (Declined).

Travel Scholarships

  • 2024 SACNAS at Salk Travel Award.
  • Salk Women and Science Conference and Travel Awards 2022.
  • OCNS travel grant to attend the CNS*2011 meeting in Stockholm, Sweden.
  • Beca Formula Santander 2010/11, mobility grant to carry out a research stay at the CNS at NYU.
  • IBRO (LARC) travel grant to attend Neurolatam in Buzio, Brazil, 2008.
  • Travel grant to attend the International Neural Coding Workshop, in Uruguay 2007 and Taiwan 2009.

Organization of workshops and symposia

  • Chair of the nano-symposium: Mechanisms underlying synaptic plasticity: Structural, Metabolic and Gene Regulation Changes at the Society for Neuroscience meeting, November 2022, San Diego, CA, USA.
  • Chair of a session at the Salk Science at the Seaside retreat organized by the Society of Research Fellows, October 2022, San Diego, CA, USA.
  • Organization of a mini-symposium entitled Mathematical biology of signaling and metabolism at synapses at the European Conference on Mathematical and Theoretical Biology, Heidelberg, Germany, September 19-25, 2022.
  • Help in the organization of the Blender Scripting Tutorial Series at the Salk Institute from September 2020 to June 2021.
  • Help in the organization of the MMBios - Cell Modeling Virtual Workshop July 2020, 2021, and 2022.

Professional Service

  • Journal referee: Physical Review Letter, Physical Review E, Biophysical Journal, Journal of The Royal Society Interface, Plos Computational Biology and Neural Plasticity.

  • Member of the Society of Research Fellows at the Salk Institute (awards evaluation, organization of events, etc) since August 2022 until present.

  • Mentor at the Biology Undergraduate and Master’s Mentorship Program (BUMMP) at the University of California, San Diego. Since September 2023 until present.